1. Field
The present invention relates to electronic message exchange and, more particularly, to message exchange using an electronic bulletin board system.
2. Background Information
The term xe2x80x9cBulletin Board Systemxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cBBSxe2x80x9d refers to the reading and writing of electronic messages to a shared message exchange from which the messages may be accessed by persons (called xe2x80x9cparticipantsxe2x80x9d) who are members of the BBS. A BBS may be called a bulletin board or just board. Collectively, the members of a BBS may be called the BBS group. The collection of messages available on the board may be called the BBS messages.
BBS""s may be moderated, meaning that one or more persons may view and approve the messages posted there. The messages may be encrypted so that they cannot be read except by persons who have the key to decrypt the messages. The messages may also be subject to expiration so that they are removed or deleted from the bulletin board when no longer deemed relevant or timely.
BBS implementations may be expensive and complicated to implement. For example, the UseNet BBS service on the Internet employs multiple servers, each with a dedicated Internet connection, each server merging and filtering the messages posted on each other server. A BBS participant may post a message on any one server on UseNet and have the message made available on the other UseNet servers, however, it would be expensive and complicated for a small or nonprofit group wishing to implement their own BBS service to employ multiple redundant servers in the manner implemented by UseNet.
Identifications of other personal data areas on other servers are read, and other message identifications identifying other messages stored on the other personal data areas are read from the other personal data areas. The other message identifications are merged into a list of BBS messages.